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Osaka, Japan, Ends Ties With San Francisco In Protest Of 'Comfort Women' Statue
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Leroy N. Soetoro
Oct 7, 2018, 7:26:00 PM10/7/18
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https://www.npr.org/2018/10/04/654474739/osaka-ends-ties-with-san-
francisco-in-protest-of-comfort-women-statue
The mayor of Osaka, Japan, is ending its "sister city" relationship with
San Francisco this week, following a dispute over a statue that honors
women and girls who were sexually enslaved by Japan's Imperial Army during
World War II.
The Column of Strength memorial consists of three women in bronze who are
holding hands in a circle as they look into the distance. An older woman
stands to the side.
The statue commemorates "comfort women," a euphemism for thousands who
were forced, coerced and deceived into serving men at brothels near the
front lines.
But the monument's inscriptions about the comfort women "present uncertain
and one-sided claims as historical facts," Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura
contended in a 10-page letter dated Tuesday to Mayor London Breed of San
Francisco.
Yoshimura called the information an "interpretation" that has yet to be
proved — adding that the number of women who were enslaved and how they
were treated during their time in captivity were embellished.
He also said the statue singled out Japan for atrocities and that raising
awareness about sex trafficking "should consist of words equally
applicable to all countries."
According to the letter, Japanese authorities reached out seven times to
San Francisco's previous mayor, Ed Lee, who died in 2017. The statue was
installed last year.
"We're very saddened by his actions," Lillian Sing, a retired Superior
Court judge who co-chairs the "Comfort Women" Justice Coalition, told The
San Francisco Chronicle. "It provides no leadership and no vision for the
future except for his continued denial of history."
Experts say thousands of women were targeted. "The Japanese military was
responsible for the setting up, use, operation and control of the comfort
stations," an International Commission of Jurists report found.
Investigators described life at the brothels as "living hell" for women:
"They were beaten and tortured in addition to being repeatedly raped day
after day by officers and soldiers. ... When they were brought to the
comfort stations, they were healthy in body and spirit. They left the
comfort stations, diseased in body and crippled in spirit."
In 1993, Japan conceded that the Imperial Army in World War II had
enslaved women, and the country expressed "sincere apologies and remorse."
But in recent years, that apology has grown more complex. As NPR's Elise
Hu reported last year, some officials in Japan have questioned whether the
government was truly involved in a sexual enslavement campaign — or the
women volunteered.
Yoshimura added in his letter that the memorial and plaque will only cause
"further disruption" between Chinese-American, Korean-American and
Japanese communities.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also objected to the statue, saying in November
2017 that the comfort women memoral "is not only deeply regrettable but it
also opposes the views of the Japanese government."
Sister-city relations are largely ceremonial and intended to link citizens
and cultures at a community level.
Jeff Cretan, spokesman for Breed, told the Chronicle, "The mayor is
disappointed Mayor Yoshimura doesn't want to maintain ties between our
governments, but we're committed to our sister city relationship that will
continue between our San Francisco and Osaka sister city committees."
Osaka's sister-city relationship with San Francisco dates to 1957.
--
Donald J. Trump, 304 electoral votes to 227, defeated compulsive liar in
denial Hillary Rodham Clinton on December 19th, 2016. The clown car
parade of the democrat party ran out of gas and got run over by a Trump
truck.
Congratulations President Trump. Thank you for cleaning up the disaster
of the Obama presidency.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp.
ObamaCare is a total 100% failure and no lie that can be put forth by its
supporters can dispute that.
Obama jobs, the result of ObamaCare. 12-15 working hours a week at minimum
wage, no benefits and the primary revenue stream for ObamaCare. It can't
be funded with money people don't have, yet liberals lie about how great
it is.
Obama increased total debt from $10 trillion to $20 trillion in the eight
years he was in office, and sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood queer
liberal democrat donors.
francisco-in-protest-of-comfort-women-statue
The mayor of Osaka, Japan, is ending its "sister city" relationship with
San Francisco this week, following a dispute over a statue that honors
women and girls who were sexually enslaved by Japan's Imperial Army during
World War II.
The Column of Strength memorial consists of three women in bronze who are
holding hands in a circle as they look into the distance. An older woman
stands to the side.
The statue commemorates "comfort women," a euphemism for thousands who
were forced, coerced and deceived into serving men at brothels near the
front lines.
But the monument's inscriptions about the comfort women "present uncertain
and one-sided claims as historical facts," Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura
contended in a 10-page letter dated Tuesday to Mayor London Breed of San
Francisco.
Yoshimura called the information an "interpretation" that has yet to be
proved — adding that the number of women who were enslaved and how they
were treated during their time in captivity were embellished.
He also said the statue singled out Japan for atrocities and that raising
awareness about sex trafficking "should consist of words equally
applicable to all countries."
According to the letter, Japanese authorities reached out seven times to
San Francisco's previous mayor, Ed Lee, who died in 2017. The statue was
installed last year.
"We're very saddened by his actions," Lillian Sing, a retired Superior
Court judge who co-chairs the "Comfort Women" Justice Coalition, told The
San Francisco Chronicle. "It provides no leadership and no vision for the
future except for his continued denial of history."
Experts say thousands of women were targeted. "The Japanese military was
responsible for the setting up, use, operation and control of the comfort
stations," an International Commission of Jurists report found.
Investigators described life at the brothels as "living hell" for women:
"They were beaten and tortured in addition to being repeatedly raped day
after day by officers and soldiers. ... When they were brought to the
comfort stations, they were healthy in body and spirit. They left the
comfort stations, diseased in body and crippled in spirit."
In 1993, Japan conceded that the Imperial Army in World War II had
enslaved women, and the country expressed "sincere apologies and remorse."
But in recent years, that apology has grown more complex. As NPR's Elise
Hu reported last year, some officials in Japan have questioned whether the
government was truly involved in a sexual enslavement campaign — or the
women volunteered.
Yoshimura added in his letter that the memorial and plaque will only cause
"further disruption" between Chinese-American, Korean-American and
Japanese communities.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also objected to the statue, saying in November
2017 that the comfort women memoral "is not only deeply regrettable but it
also opposes the views of the Japanese government."
Sister-city relations are largely ceremonial and intended to link citizens
and cultures at a community level.
Jeff Cretan, spokesman for Breed, told the Chronicle, "The mayor is
disappointed Mayor Yoshimura doesn't want to maintain ties between our
governments, but we're committed to our sister city relationship that will
continue between our San Francisco and Osaka sister city committees."
Osaka's sister-city relationship with San Francisco dates to 1957.
--
Donald J. Trump, 304 electoral votes to 227, defeated compulsive liar in
denial Hillary Rodham Clinton on December 19th, 2016. The clown car
parade of the democrat party ran out of gas and got run over by a Trump
truck.
Congratulations President Trump. Thank you for cleaning up the disaster
of the Obama presidency.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp.
ObamaCare is a total 100% failure and no lie that can be put forth by its
supporters can dispute that.
Obama jobs, the result of ObamaCare. 12-15 working hours a week at minimum
wage, no benefits and the primary revenue stream for ObamaCare. It can't
be funded with money people don't have, yet liberals lie about how great
it is.
Obama increased total debt from $10 trillion to $20 trillion in the eight
years he was in office, and sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood queer
liberal democrat donors.
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